Kevin Ramsden Member Member since 2020

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Start each and every day with a new idea

Fiction

Kevin Ramsden resides in Kyoto, Japan, and is a professor of Global Studies at a university in the city. Other than writing, his interests include listening to reggae music and complaining about the performances of West Ham United football club. He has also self-published a collection of short stories titled “Here Comes Kenji – Stories from Contemporary Japan”, some of which have found homes in Japan-based journals and magazines along with a number of other pieces accepted for publication around the world.

Location:: Kyoto
Birthdate:: 26 January (67 years old)
Social:: Instagram

Kevin Ramsden's Publication History

Jul 2026

iExile published You see me now?

Jul 2026

Blinker Lit published The Karaoke King of Kyoto

Oct 2020

Tokyo Weekender Magazine published K Troop

Interview with Kevin Ramsden

Where do you prefer to do your creative work?

Just about anywhere really. I keep a notebook and pen with me at all times and pop down notes as ideas for a story come to me.

Who are your literary (or artistic) heroes?

Cormac McCarthy, E. Annie Proulx, Larry McMurtrey, Charles Bukowski

If you could only take one book on a ten-year voyage, what book would you choose?

Lonesome Dove or Accordian Crimes

How much of a typical day (or week) are you able to dedicate to your creative work?

I'm semi-retired, so I can write pretty much every day. However, I tend to write in spurts and can knock off a few flash fiction pieces over a few days and usually when I am settled in a beach bar in Thailand or Vietnam post-semester.

What makes you procrastinate when you could be doing your creative work? What are your strategies for finding focus?

I watch too much CNN and BBC for my own good. I go for a long walk and try to get my artistic engines started with a breath or two of fresh air.

How do you celebrate your successes, such as acceptances? How do you handle rejections and other setbacks?

I open a nice bottle of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and drink it with my wife when I get an acceptance email and sigh a little and just get back at it when I get rejected. Life's too short to be miserable for more than a millisecond.

How much time do you spend reading for pleasure or edification?

I read every night before bed and at odd times throughout the day.

Where do you find inspiration?

In everyday things and the people and places around me. I have written a bunch of short pieces featuring Kyoto or Japan, the city and country I live in. They do say you should write about what you know, right? I have also just completed the manuscript of a novel based on the adventures of twin brothers who up sticks in the UK and seek their fortune in Kyoto. I'm really hoping to find a publisher for it soon. Anyone out there interested?? Please!!!

What single creative achievement are you most proud of?

Making (with the help of my lovely missus) a couple of happy, healthy young men who I couldn't be more proud of.

What advice would you give to a young, budding writer (or artist) with less experience than yourself?

Just do what you do. Getting rejected is a lesson well learned and spilling the words out on the page should always be fun and not a chore.

For your first draft (or sketch), do you prefer analog or digital tools, or a mix?

A mix.

Do you incorporate generative AI/LLMs into your creative process? If so, how?

Not one bit. But I do like the images ChatGPT makes for me when I am promoting a piece on social media

What is your favorite word and why?

All words are my favourite

Last Updated: 12 Oct 2026